CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State Athletics has announced additional dates of competition for its wrestling program for the remainder of the month, including a home dual against a Big XII opponent this weekend.
The Vikings will contest their first official dual of the season this weekend as they host West Virginia this Saturday, Jan. 23, at 2:00 p.m.
Cleveland State also announced that it will compete at Navy next Saturday, Jan. 30, at 5:00 p.m. The Vikings and Midshipmen are expected to contest a traditional dual along with approximately 30 extra matches in conjunction with the event.
Cleveland State opened its season this past weekend by hosting Kent State in a round-robin format that saw 35 total matches take place.
Six Vikings were unbeaten on the season's opening day, including a quartet that won twice. Redshirt junior John Kelbly (285), sophomore DeAndre Nassar (184), true freshman Daniel Patten (157/165) and redshirt sophomore Riley Smucker (165) all started their season 2-0.
Kelbly registered wins in different styles as his first victory was finalized only after he outlasted his opponent, 2-1, in the first tiebreaker period. He then racked up back points in bunches to cruise to a 16-0 technical fall in his second bout of the day.
Redshirt freshman Joseph Caprella put forth an impressive performance in his lone bout of the day against Kent, posting a 12-3 major decision win.
Patten was one of three CSU true freshmen to win on the season-opening day as classmates Daniel Bucknavich (285) and Jake Manley (125) also tallied their first collegiate victory.
West Virginia has contested five duals over the past two weekends, all at home, as it hosted a quad dual and a tri dual. The Mountaineers knocked off fellow Mid-American Conference foes Kent State and Ohio by double digits and also easily dispatched of Bucknell. WVU dropped duals to Virginia Tech and Oklahoma, both of whom are currently ranked among the top 20 nationally. The Mountaineers are on the fringes of the top 25 poll, as they are receiving votes nationally.
WVU is led by redshirt junior Noah Adams at 197 pounds. Currently the top-ranked wrestler at his weight class nationally, Adams went 32-0 last season en route to Big XII Wrestler of the Year honors and First-Team All-America accolades. Redshirt junior Killian Cardinale (125) and freshman Peyton Hall (165) are the other two Mountaineer starters ranked among the top 25 at their weight class.
Cleveland State and West Virginia were long-time conference rivals, as the two foes shared the now-defunct Eastern Wrestling League for over 30 years. In fact, CSU and WVU competed against one another in duals in 34 consecutive seasons from 1978-79 until 2011-12. The Vikings and Mountaineers have not met since, and Saturday will mark their first-ever matchup as non-conference foes. West Virginia holds a 25-10 lead in the all-time series and has won 12 consecutive meetings entering this weekend.
Additional dates of competition for the Vikings will be added once confirmed. The schedule page on CSUVikings.com will be continually updated with additional matches as they are finalized.
